Car for 4 kids
Territory, XC90, Tribeca?

Hello all. We have just discovered we have #4 on the way so we need to think about a bigger car. I'm not keen on a people mover so I'm looking at SUV's. We don't need 4WD, so I'm not looking at those. I've had a good look at old threads and learned a lot already.

When the baby arrives I will have a 2yo (carseat), 6 yo (tethered booster) and a 9yo (can probably go without a booster then) so I should only need 3 anchor points. I would love to hear your opinions on a Territory, Subaru Tribeca or the Volvo XC90 and if they would work for 4 kids. This will be our only car.

I understand that with the Tribeca, there are 2 anchor points in each row, so my 6yo would have to travel in the 3rd row. Does anyone know which 2nd row moves to allow rear access? Could I have 2 car seats set up behind the driver? Also, I'm finding conflicting reports on whether there are airbags in the third row?

I know the XC90 has 3 anchor points in the middle, so all restraints would have to go there. This would mean my eldest would have to get in via the boot? Would this work?

I know the Territory has 5 anchor points, so has the most flexibility. But I believe it has no 3rd row airbags?

Any wisdom or other suggestions much appreciated. I have ruled out the Odyssey (because of the stupid location of the anchor points), and the Subaru Exiga (mainly because it's so ugly!).

Honestly I was thinking the same way as you. Didn't need a 4wd, and I didn't really want a people mover but all the SUV's I looked at just seemed too small, and in many of them, the 3rd row was too close to the back door for my comfort, and also for pram/shopping space. Tribeca was one of the smallest of all. I only need 2 anchor points, for newborn and my 7yo's booster. My other kids are 11 and almost 10. But even with only imagining a RF seat in there, my kids felt too cramped.

We ended up getting a Grand Carnival, and despite not wanting a people mover, I love my new car. So much space, and so much power compared to the old Carnivals.

Have you looked at Mazda CX9? If I had stuck with a SUV that's probably what I would have gotten. But I just couldn't go past the space of the GC, and I'm loving the sliding doors, especially in my garage at home where we have two cars, a motorbike and other assorted crap lol, so the cars are parked quite close together.

i have a territory (I have 3 kids but we do get the 4th row up alot) to be honest i wouldnt put up with it for 4 kids all the time. my 10yr old has trouble fitting in the back and my 8yr old is getting to big for the back seats too. I would look at bigger

We were sold on the Volvo but couldn't justify the extra $20k for 10cm more boot space, but of space is important then the Volvo is the biggest we found.

Territory we discounted because the third row isn't split, so you would have to have both seats up all the time leaving no boot space - bad if you need a pram.

Captiva was tiny, Mazda was expensive to service and a fuel guzzler, Kia seemed cheap, hyundai was nice for a cheaper car.

We chose Kluger due to space, it's quite roomy, can easily fit adults in rear row, they had fixed price servicing, $170 for 6 years. 6 year unlimited km warranty, 6 years roadside. I like the reversing camera, the screen is huge, sat nav is handy. the extra gimmicky things are nice like keyless entry and ignition, auto open and closing boot, DVD and wireless headphones, big sunroof. We also looked at re sale, toyotas hold their value well, the territory does well too, mazda did very poorly.

Hi OPWe just bought a Mazda CX9. Number 3 is on the way, but already have a DD12 and DS2.5, so needed space for two car seats in second row, and preferably the third row to have the option of being either as six or seven seat. The reason for this.... If only carrying the five of us, we can have the third row as only one seat up, one down, so can still fit a huge amount of stuff in the boot/seat well space. Other cars such as the Territory don't give this option, and have a tiny amount of space when the third row is up, which with four kids will probably be impractical. The Mazda is fairly well priced brand new, wouldn't bother with second hand as they hold their value rather well (we figured we may as well pay the extra $8000 for a brand new one, as second hand you get all the problems of high km's, lack of warranty, etc. Seemed much more sensible to buy brand new-one owner (us), full warranty etc. and oh, that new car smell.....

My daughter has a territory, the rear row sits on the floor so no leg space as the kids get older, tiny 7 year can not fit anymore,it does have anchors in the rear row. She has had a lot of trouble with it mechanically.

Hubby had a Tribecca to small, the 7 seat liberty has more room.

I drive a tarago, love it to bits smaller than the other vans on the market, more like an over size station wagon not as boxy as the IMAX and the Kia a little less roomy, doesn't feel like a van to drive

My daughter has a territory, the rear row sits on the floor so no leg space as the kids get older, tiny 7 year can not fit anymore,it does have anchors in the rear row. She has had a lot of trouble with it mechanically.

Hubby had a Tribecca to small, the 7 seat liberty has more room.

I drive a tarago, love it to bits smaller than the other vans on the market, more like an over size station wagon not as boxy as the IMAX and the Kia a little less roomy, doesn't feel like a van to drive

We have a new Prado (only had it for 2 weeks) and it's perfect, easily fits three car seats across the back and two adults in the rear. It has a huge boot with split fold seats and is one of the only big 4WD's around with head airbags for the third row occupants - very important to us because we have a precious golden retriever who travels in the boot

I'm only kidding about the airbags working for the dog, but anyway, this was a factor we looked at, as well as wanting diesel and plenty of room. There are no anchor points in the third row though, just three in the middle.

Have a really good think about safety and getting people and 4 schoolbags in and out of the car, the car seat configuration, whether the pram will become an unguided missile harming one of your kids in a crash.

We have a friend who had 3 kids inside a near-new Subaru which burned to the ground a few years ago and she had to get the kids out fast (eldest was 4 at the time). How would you go in the car you are looking at?

What about visitors? Do you ever transport an extra child at all?

We went for a Kia. Horrible but for our money necessary. I don't like people movers, but I have 4 kids, and I choose safety.

We have the Volvo XC90 and I cannot fault it. As a vehicle I have no hesitation recommending it (we have the diesel). I am quite into cars and did a lot of research! Despite it being a 10 year old model, it still looks great and I actually think the fact the model has been around so long means Volvo have sorted out all the little problems various cars have. I love it! We rules out a lot of cars due to fuel consumption and lack of a diesel model. We got down to the Land Rover Discovery 4 and the Volvo XC90 and what made the decision was the safety factor. Volvo wins hands down.

We only have 3 children although we did buy the XC90 when we were expecting a 4th (didn't work out). Current set up is 1yr old behind driver and 2.5yr old behind passenger. Oldest child (7) uses the built in booster in the middle seat. If we need to use the third row for a friend or for DS, they climb in via the boot. We live walking distance to DS7's school so he is really only in the car on the weekends.

I know a few people with 4 and 5 kids who have the Volvo and they also love it. I guess you just have to think about the logistics of who sits where and where does the pram fit safely. But I can highly recommend the Volvo!

I use a baby Jogger City Mini Double! I actually have the GT model which has the bigger wheels and doesn't fold as flat but it still fits (just!). You would be better with the non GT model if it will always be behind the third row.

I was like your DH. Refused to go down the people mover path! I am really fussy about cars and honestly cannot fault the XC90.

MamaMoi - one more qn. Can you fit your BJCMD behind one of the third row seats, ie: can you put the other seat down with the pram in the boot? Or would I need to remove the pram to allow access to the third row? I got one one ebay!

We have a Tribeca with 2 kids and it's fantastic for us but I wouldn't put a kid in the 3rd row. I sit in it from time to time and there's very little room and I worry about what would happen if rear ended. I'd take it off the list if I were you.

MamaMoi - one more qn. Can you fit your BJCMD behind one of the third row seats, ie: can you put the other seat down with the pram in the boot? Or would I need to remove the pram to allow access to the third row? I got one one ebay!

I have only put it behind the third row a few times and I am pretty sure my 7 yr old was able to get in and out without me taking the pram out. The problem might be that to ensure the person in that 6th seat is safe, you really need to put the 7th seat up if you have the pram behind them. Unless you work out some way to lash the pram down using the cargo points. I am always worried about what might happen if I have an accident. But to answer your question, I am pretty sure my DS was able to get in and out although there is only about a foot wide gap and my DS very thin!

I’m not expecting you to be as calm as you might be right now. What I mean is that if your panic levels are through the roof during a stressful situation, let’s bring them down to just under the ceiling.

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